August 9, 2019
What is a new Generic Top Level Domain name? How many different extensions are there now? What's uptake like in Australia? Find the answers here.
It's hard to believe that not so long ago there were only a few hundred top level domains (TLDs) including generic (gTLD - e.g. .com, .net and .org ) and country code extensions (ccTLDs e.g. .au).
With the introduction of "new Generic Top Level Domains" (ngTLD), the number has skyrocketed and along with it the choices of names available. The application system opened in 2012 and today there are more than 1,200 active new gTLDs. These are sponsored by various entities and cover all sorts of special interest areas. Some are available to register by anyone anywhere, others reserved by the sponsoring registry for specific companies, sectors or localities.
According to nTLDStats, there are more than 26.5 million ngTLD names registered. Verisign's most recent Domain Name Industry brief reported the first quarter of this year closed with 351.8 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains - so the new domains are, even collectively, still very much in the minority and will likely remain so for quite some time.
The biggest uptake of these newer extensions is occurring in China (9.2 million+ registrations), followed by the USA (3.6 million+)
Approximately 144,000 ngTLDs have been registered in Australia, compared to more than 3,197,653 .au addresses. Sure, .au has been around for decades and has a really big head start, but that raises an important point.
While ngTLDs have their place in the internet ecosystem, for Australian businesses doing business in Australia registering a .com.au is still a wise choice - .au is very well-established and more importantly, Australian domain names are trusted. There are certain eligibility criteria that must be met in order to register an Australian domain name, which helps to preserve the integrity of the namespace.
Australians are used to seeing .au domain name extensions and recognise them as being connected to local entities. Having a .au domain is a good way to kick off a relationship with potential customers and partners - and in online business these days, building trust from the get-go can never be over-valued.
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How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.
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